17 October 2007

17th October 2007

8:49 PM — The race to succeed Sir Menzies Campbell as leader of the Liberal Democrats gathered pace today as Chris Huhne launched his campaign.As several potential leadership candidates today announced they would not be standing it looks increasing likely that the Nick Clegg will be the only other challenger for the leadership.He is expected to launch his campaign tomorrow.

6:10 PM — The only openly lesbian Congresswoman has said that trans protections will be re-introduced to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act currently before the US Congress.Representative Tammy Baldwin announced today that she has secured an agreement from the Democratic leadership to introduce an amendment on the floor of the House of Representatives next week, after the bill protecting gay, lesbian and bisexual people at work moves through the House Education and Labour Committee tomorrow.

4:44 PM — Two Canadian soldiers stationed in Holland ahead of a deployment in Afghanistan have been convicted of beating up a gay man in Amsterdam.Eric Wright and Ryan Dowie, both 22 at the time of the attack last May, received custodial sentences for the attack, which left their 28-year-old victim with a skull fracture and broken nose.The soldiers convinced the court that they called their victim a "fag" and "gay" because he was a civilian wearing dog tags.

4:15 PM — An attempt by the Governor's Office of Istanbul to close down Lambda Istanbul, an LGBT group, has raised questions about human rights in Turkey.A department responsible for non-governmental organisations alleges that the group violates Turkish laws on morality.The Governor had asked in early 2007 that the group be shut down.In July local prosecutors rejected the complaint but the Governor's Office then took the case to a higher court which heard the case in July 2007 and ordered a second hearing which begins tomorrow.

3:22 PM — The Prime Minister has committed himself to ending the unequal age of consent in the British self-governing territory of Gibraltar.MEP Michael Cashman met with Gordon Brown yesterday and raised the issue with him.LGBT people in the territory have little legal protection from discrimination. Up until 1992, all male homosexual relationships were illegal. At present male homosexual sex is legal at 18, rather than 16 for heterosexual and lesbian sex.

3:05 PM — The Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova, has attacked gay marriage at a theological conference of globalisation challenges held in the country.He said that equality between same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriage is contrary to "Christian convictions."The Metropolitan also expressed his conviction that politicians should be loyal to their faith above all other considerations.

2:01 PM — Former senior police officer Brian Paddick, who is widely expected to win the Liberal Democrat nomination for Mayor of London, may receive fundraising help from a well-known celebrity.The Independent reports that the partner of singer Sir Elton John, David Furnish, is keen to help Mr Paddick, who is gay, raise campaign funds ahead of the mayoral elections in May 2008.The results of a ballot of Lib Dem members in London to choose their candidate will be announced next month.

1:15 PM — Sometimes I find it difficult to even relate to lesbians who live in well populated metropolitan areas.I live in a very rural area of east Texas, where there is no lesbian or gay public presence to speak of. If you want to go to a pride parade, you can drive 130 miles to Dallas and catch one.If you want to go to a lesbian bar - same drive. There is one gay bar only 60 miles away, but it's predominantly for gay men.

12:41 PM — She came from behind and now Hillary Clinton holds the biggest war chest in the battle for US President.According to MarketWatch.com, Senator Clinton is sitting on a cool $35 million (£17.2m), more than her closest competitor Barack Obama, who had $32 million as of the end of September.Mrs Clinton sped ahead of rival Obama in third quarter earnings, the one area where Obama was previously thought to be beating the former First Lady.

12:32 PM — "I was very, very embarrassed about it," Senator Larry Craig says of his arrest earlier this year as part of a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport during an interview airing tonight on NBC television programme Matt Lauer Reports."I didn't want to embarrass my wife, my kids, Idaho and my friends."According to those who have seen the hour-long interview, Craig's wife, Suzanne, tells host Matt Lauer that learning of her husband's arrest was "like the floor was falling out from under me."

12:28 PM — Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has sought to end the controversy surrounding new legislation protecting LGBT people from discrimination.A version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act excluding trans people is set to move forward next week, a compromise that has angered many gay rights organisations.The largest LGBT advocacy group in the US, the Human Rights Campaign, has worked with Speaker Pelosi.

11:32 AM — A former Oxford academic has become one of the oldest first time authors ever with a dashing gay romance called The Heart Entrapped. Mike Soper, 93, is feeling the liberation of life outside the closet after decades of pretending, and his new book draws on his experiences of love outside the law.He told the Oxford Mail:"I had to keep quiet about my sexuality when I was lecturing at Oxford, as undergraduates would not have been very kind if they had known I was gay."

11:12 AM — A man described as a "devout Christian" has been arrested after a series of incidents of homophobia at a public library in Greater Manchester.58-year-old Joe Fairclough was arrested and detained by officers under a public order offence, but later released without charge.A police spokesman told the Manchester Evening News: "The library customer's behaviour was unacceptable."

10:10 AM — The Royal Navy's equality and diversity officer has said there is no evidence that anyone left the service in protest at gay men and lesbians being allowed to serve openly.In 2000, the government removed the ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual people in the Armed Forces.A document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act appeared to shed light on the worries some military personnel had.

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